Ohio poised for strong fur-bearing season

Nov. 15, 2013

Written by

Dick Martin

CentralOhio.com

Ohio is among the nation's leading producers of raw furs, and trappers are expected to encounter good populations this fall and winter.

The season opened on Sunday, Nov. 10. Division of Wildlife biologist Suzie Prange said populations of fur bearers have remained steady over the past few years and this year should be similar.

Last year, 22,520 fur permits were sold in Ohio and the state currently has 69 licensed fur dealers. The season for fox, raccoon, opossum, skunk and weasel will remain open through Jan. 31, while mink and muskrat trapping will end on Feb. 28.

Coyote hunting and trapping has no closed season and no bag limits.

• There’s good and bad news for the 520-plus who dig and sell ginseng roots in Ohio each fall.

The good news is wild ginseng roots are fetching a respectable $650 a pound on the international market.

The bad news is harvested roots in Ohio are growing smaller, meaning it takes more of them to weigh a pound.

American ginseng is a perennial herb valued by Asian cultures for its all-around health benefits. It's a slow growing plant found in well-drained woodlands of eastern North America and is most easily spotted by its red berries and distinctive leaves.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has numerous regulations on the digging and selling of this useful plant and would-be diggers should be well versed in those regulations before heading to the woods.

• Anyone who fishes on Lake Erie can remember the blue-green algae plague that descended on the lake in 2011. The scummy toxic blob sucked oxygen from the water, clogged boat motors and washed ashore in rotting masses that turned the stomachs of beach goers.

It also was likely an omen of things to come, experts said in a study released earlier this year. The warming climate and modern farming practices are creating ideal conditions for gigantic algae blooms on Lake Erie. They could be potentially disastrous to the surrounding area’s multi-billion dollar tourist industry.

Steps are being taken to correct the problem though, and the ODNR and various farm groups are working together to generate new farming practices that will prevent too much fertilizer reaching our big lake. Hopefully, it won’t be too little, too late.

• Hikers, backpackers, and campers will find some unusual offerings at Hocking Hills this fall and winter. There are lodging options that allow travelers to “Sleep in history” literally, at places from a restored general store to the old Dunkle Schoolhouse, and from a 1926 train caboose to an early Ohio farmhouse.

There’s also the Ravenwood Castle’s Medieval Village and even a Romani gypsy wagon and Mongolian yurt. For those who want simply to hike, Hocking Hills offers some beautiful winter trails and in mid-winter frozen waterfalls and massive icicles.

For more information, visit ExploreHockingHills.com or call 1-800-HOCKING.

• The year 2013 has become the deadliest ever for Florida’s endangered manatees. In total, 769 manatees have died this year through Oct. 29, making it the largest annual manatee die-off in Florida since record keeping began.

According to Dr. Katie Tripp, Save the Manatee Club's Director, two unusual mortality events in 2013, coupled with the regular threats these gentle giants face on a daily basis, have been responsible for the losses.

A record number of 276 manatees succumbed from exposure to a toxic red tide bloom. More deaths occurred in Brevard County linked to a variety of algae blooms and loss of 47,000 acres of seagrass since 2010.

For more information on endangered manatees, nature lovers can visit the Club website at www.savethemanatee.org.

• Sixteen Appalachian Ohio school districts and their corresponding counties and townships will share $1,737,857 from the sale of timber in Ohio’s state forests. ODNR Director James Zehringer and Smokey Bear recently presented the largest check of $278,852 to Vinton County Local Schools as part of the ODNR’s “Trees to Textbooks” program.

Through the program, a percentage of the moneys generated from state forest management activity goes to the county, township, or school district in which the activity took place. All work is conducted by certified master loggers under strict monitoring.

Dick Martin is a retired Shelby biology teacher who has written an outdoor column for more than 20 years. He can be reached at richmart@neo.rr.com.